A smaller Gilas Pilipinas squad buckled down to work Monday night to intensify its preparation for the sixth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

With their big men not available, Gilas hinted at the possibility of turning their battles against Lebanon on Friday and Jordan on Monday into a marathon with their fortune resting on their deadly gunners and wily playmakers.

The interior of Gilas Pilipinas, in fact, was so depleted that it was forced to bring in former Villanova star Daniel Ochefu to participate in its training by simulating the Lebanese and Jordanian slotmen.

The 6-foot-11 Ochefu, who won a US National Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball title with the Wildcats in 2018, is in town to join TNT Tropang Giga in the East Asia Super League Champions Week from 1 to 15 March in Japan.

He joined Gilas training as big men like Japeth Aguilar, Kai Sotto, Raymond Almazan, Carl Tamayo and Poy Erram will not be available for the final window of the qualifiers,

The 7-foot-2 Sotto opted out last week to focus on his stint with the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the Japan B. League while Almazan is also likely not going to see action due to his commitment with Meralco in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association Governors' Cup.

Aguilar and Erram, for their part, are still injured while Tamayo will also be sidelined as he just signed a fresh pact with the Ryukyu Golden Kings in Japan.

With that, six-time PBA Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo will be the legitimate post presence for Gilas while young guns like Mason Amos of Ateneo de Manila University and Kevin Quiambao of De La Salle University could get handsome chances of cracking the final roster.

Gilas coach Chot Reyes said their lack of big men could affect the composition of the team.

"Right now, we opted to rest Kelly (Williams) because the last three games had too much on his body and Raymond can't play because Meralco is playing on the 23rd and 26th. With that, Mason is really looking like having a real shot out there," Reyes told Daily Tribune following the workout that also included PBA standouts Calvin Oftana, Arvin Tolentino, and Jamie Malonzo.